From what I was told last time I went to the dentist, amalgam is...

From what I was told last time I went to the dentist, amalgam is still used in rear teeth fillings in 1st world countries due to durability, cost and a couple of technical reasons that weren't elaborated on. For example, the latest post on SDI's UK facebook page is about the upcoming phase-down of amalgam use by the British Dental Association, apparently due to changes in EU regulations. Both the BDA and their European counterpart lobbied to prevent a complete phase-out so there must still be a demand for it.

Good point about the distributors and dealers. Looking locally it seems as though at least one of the larger competitors (Dentsply) has outlets in most capital cities so presumably they have a greater capacity and motivation to push their products compared to a distributor. However a superficial look at Dentsply and Patterson's sales growth suggests that market shares are pretty stable so I wonder how effective any dental company's sales team or distribution network can be at convincing dentists to swap products. Something to ask next time I go for a check-up.

SDI's annual reports from the mid to late 2000's also make for interesting reading in light of recent events. It will be interesting to see the next set of financials but I think what we are seeing is consistent with the nature of the business and industry.